WASHINGTON D.C.–The American Legion on Thursday held a press conference in Washington D.C., to announce results from a recent survey of veterans’ households. Survey results indicated that 92 percent of those polled support increased medical cannabis research.
“The results are significant and reinforce The American Legion’s continued efforts, under Resolution 11, to urge Congress to amend legislation to remove marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act and reclassify it, at a minimum, as a drug with potential medical value,” the organization said in a post to its website.
Eighty three percent of respondents said they believed the federal government should legalize cannabis nationally, and 82 percent said they would approve of legalized medical cannabis as an alternative medical treatment. According to the American Legion website, 1,300 households nationwide were surveyed by an independent public opinion research company.
Also in today’s announcement: The American Legion called on the federal government to deny or confirm the validity of study abstracts released by the National Association of Medicine in 2017, which “found substantial evidence to support the idea that cannabis was effective in treating chronic pain, reducing spasticity in Multiple Sclerosis patients, and reducing symptoms of chemotherapy-induced nausea.”
Post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain, and opioid addiction were conditions specifically cited in today’s announcement that the American Legion said may benefit from medical cannabis therapy.
Other survey results revealed:
- Support for medical cannabis research is consistent nationwide, across ages, gender, political affiliation and geography.
- 60 percent of respondents do not live in states where medical cannabis is currently legal.
- 79 percent of respondents, aged 60-plus, supported federally legalized medical cannabis.
- 22 percent of veterans stated they are currently using cannabis to treat a medical condition.
- 40 percent of caregivers stated they know a veteran who is using medical cannabis to alleviate a medical condition.
In August 2016, at the American Legion National Convention, held in Reno, Nevada, the organization passed Resolution 11, which asked government agencies to remove marijuana from the Schedule 1 list, and increase research on medical cannabis and its potential beneficial effects for those suffering from PTSD and other conditions.
Resolution 28 was also passed at the event by members, which called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to allow healthcare providers within the VA, to discuss medical cannabis with their patients.
The American Legion does not support recreational cannabis use National Executive Director Brenda Jones reiterated, at the press conference. The organization continues to advocate for cannabis legalization and increased research on the efficacy of medical cannabis, on behalf of 2.2 million Legionnaires. To learn more about the organization’s campaign to support cannabis legalization and research, click here.
Jones said, “When veterans come to us and tell us a particular treatment is working for them, we owe it to them to listen and do the research that’s required.”
